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Colombian Trafficker Indicted, Extradited

A Colombian trafficker and lead operative from the cartel Los Urabenos has been extradited to Florida to face federal charges, the FBI announced Wednesday.

Camilo ("Fritanga") Torres-Martinez, 41, has been charged with various cocaine conspiracy counts. If convicted, he faces up to life in federal prison.

Up until 2008, Martinez-Torres and his drug trafficking organization transported large quantities of cocaine in vessels dispatched off the Northern coast of Colombia. Los Urabenos controls northern Colombia's drug trade.

The cartel provided maritime transportation services to cocaine owners who wished to transport their narcotics by sea through the international waters of the Caribbean. The cocaine was transported from the coast of Colombia to Honduras for distribution in the United States. The cartel utilized speedboats and fishing vessels to transport the cocaine.

On Nov. 8, 2004, the United States Coast Guard interdicted a 40-foot speedboat in international waters in the Carribean Sea. Personnel recovered 2,652 kilograms of cocaine. On July 6, 2005, the Coast Guard interdicted a Honduran-flagged fishing vessel, the Ocean Mystery, in international waters in the Carribean Sea. Personnel recovered 2,483 kilograms of cocaine.

Both of these vessels were organized and sent out by Martinez-Torres and his organization. Martinez-Torres was arrested while celebrating his marriage in an elaborate wedding on a Caribbean island.

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